Transient virtual acquaintance

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Originally conceived of and used by english-speaking European online gamers, the term transient virtual acquaintance describes a briefly sustained online social interaction such as that in multiplayer games (that tend not to be constantly active and real-time such as First Person Shooter games) or frequently used venues such as chat services and forums. Transient Virtual Aquaintenceships generally form between players that only interact with each other when in-game or when discussing certain topics. Each party will still be familiar enough with the other to recall the aquaintence's name and some simple personal information that is usually relevant to the medium in which the interaction takes place. "TVA" allows a specification that is less permanent and meaningful than "friend" and yet slightly more significant than a completely virtual stranger.